Time division protocol for an AD-HOC, peer-to-peer radio network having coordinating channel access to shared parallel data channels with separate reservation channel

ABSTRACT

A novel protocol for an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio network that provides collision-free channel access with an emphasis on improving geographic reuse of the frequency spectrum. The protocol of the invention is executed on the reservation or control channel, and provides a method for allocating data transactions on the data channels. The system of the invention utilizes multiple parallel data channels that are coordinated by a single reservation channel. The transceiver of the system employs two modems to solve the channel reliability issues with multiple channel designs, where one is dedicated as a receive-only modem for gathering channel usage information on the reservation channel. High quality voice, video and data may be transmitted. The reservation channel implements a time division multiple access algorithm with dynamic slot allocation. In a distributed manner, nodes determine geographic reuse of slots based on channel quality extracted from the modem. Signal quality calculations are used to determine the likelihood of a slot reuse causing destructive interference within a node&#39;s neighborhood. Requests for slot usage are compared with the known traffic pattern and accepted or rejected by nodes within RF signal range based on the signal quality calculations.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Priority of provision application serial number 60/246,833, filedon Nov. 8, 2000 is herewith claimed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention is directed to a novel protocol for anad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio network system having coordinating channelaccess to shared parallel data channels via a separate reservationchannel. This system is disclosed in copending application Ser. No.09/705,588, filed on Nov. 3, 2001, entitled “Methods and Apparatus forCoordinating Channel Access to Shared Parallel Data Channels”, whichapplication is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0003] The network system having coordinating channel access to sharedparallel data channels via a separate reservation channel of copendingapplication Ser. No. 09/705,588 is directed to a network system, such asradio network, where each node, or radio terminal, of the network iscapable of serving as a node or hop of a routing path of a call fromanother, or to another radio terminal. In that system, communicationbetween nodes or radio terminals is achieved using Carrier SenseMultiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocol with theaddition of multiple parallel data channels serviced by one reservationchannel. By dedicating a separate reservation channel for the multipleparallel data channels, collision-free access by all of the competingnodes or terminals of the service group of the network is greatlyreduced. Communications between terminals or nodes is set up byinformation exchanged on the separate reservation channel, whichinformation includes all of the call set-up information such as datachannel desired to be used for transferring voice, video or data, thedesired power level of at least initial transmission, messaging such asRequest-to-Send (RTS), Clear-to-Send (CTS), Not-Clear-to-Send (NCLS),Acknowledgment (ACK) for indicating reception of the transmitted call,Non-Acknowledgment (NACK) for indicating improper reception of the call,etc. In this system, in order to further ensure fast, adequate andcollision-free transmission and reception, besides a primary modemtypically provided with the transceiver of each node or terminal, asecondary modem is also provided which is dedicated to the reservationchannel when the primary modem of the transceiver is occupied, such aswhen sending out data on a data channel. This system also provides forcollision free transmission and reception between nodes or terminals bytransmitting the reservation and data channels in time slots of timeframes, with the information as to which time slot is to be used beingincluded in the messaging transmitted by the reservation channel. Such aformat not only provides collision-free transmission, but also allowsfor Quality-of-Service (QoS) for different types of Class-of-Service(CoS), Thus, not only may voice and video be transmitted, besides data,but voice and data transmission may be prioritized, so that whencompeting calls vie for a data channel, the delay-dependent voice orvideo transmissions will take precedence. This prioritization isaccomplished by assigning prioritized calls for transmission in earliertime slots of a time frame.

[0004] The network system disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No.09/705,588 ensures that every node or terminal of a service set ofterminals has the most information regarding all of other terminals ofthat service set, so that the choice of data channel to be used, anyrequired delay is transmitting the call, information on power level, andthe like, are checked and updated by each terminal by a practicallycontinuous monitoring of the reservation channel.

[0005] As explained above, the system disclosed in U.S. application Ser.No. 09/705,588 utilizes protocol that provides collision-free channelaccess, which also emphasizes improving geographic reuse of thefrequency spectrum.

[0006] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,322—Mayer, et al., which patent isincorporated by reference herein, the radio system thereof is for use inbattlefield conditions. The ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system of thispatent does not have, nor require, a base station, as conventionalcellular systems, personal communications system (PCC), and the like,require; instead, each radio terminal forming part of the ad-hoc,peer-to-peer radio system may alternatively serve as a base station, inaddition to being an ordinary link terminal of the radio system,whereby, if one such terminal serving as a base station should for somereason become inoperative, another terminal may take over and serve asthe base station. In this patent, personal voice communications is basedon a time division duplex (TDD) technique in a code division multipleaccess (CDMA) system, is operated without a fixed base station, and isprovided with simultaneous transmission of a communications channel anda control channel, each spread by different PN codes. The PN codefacilitates restricting communications on the network to a particularvoice-conversation mode and between identified radios. Transmissions areperformed in a time division duplex manner in 62.5 milliseconds slots.One of the radios initiates transmission and maintains power control andtime synchronization normally done by a base station. A network controlstation can voluntarily or by command transfer control of the network toany of the other radios on the network. Colliding transmissions frommore than one radio require the radios to retry transmitting until oneof the radios transmits in an earlier time slot. Conversational modecapability is provided by equipping the radio receivers with despreadersin parallel for permitting a receiving radio to separately despread thesimultaneously transmitted signals all other radios on the network andresponding to each radio transmission individually. Simultaneous voiceand data communications can be accomplished by equipping the receiverswith despreaders for discriminating voice and data information signalsspread by different PN codes.

[0007] In commonly-owned provisional application serial number60/248,182, which application is incorporated by reference herein, thereis disclosed an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system for use as astand-alone system that is also connected to a cellular network and/orPSTN.

[0008] The ad-hoc mobile radio networking system thereof is capable ofreceiving and transmitting voice, data and video calls through anynumber of different types of telecommunication networks, such as thePSTN, the Internet, and the like, besides the cellular andnext-generation cellular networks.

[0009] Past research has shown that conventional Carrier Sense MultipleAccess (CSMA) algorithms experience diminishing returns when networksapproach their ultimate capacity. The vast majority of current researchcenters on channel access algorithms that provide transmission capacityover a single shared medium. An example of this is the IEEE 802.11wireless standard which employs a Carrier Sense MultipleAccess/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) algorithm. All users within a BasicService Set (BSS) share a common channel resource.

[0010] The ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system of the present invention isbased on a transport-mechanism using a time division duplex (TDD)technique in a code division multiple access (CDMA) system. TimeDivision Duplex (TDD) is a way of maximizing the bits/hz/kn2. Such asystem not only may be used for providing commercial voice, but is alsoquite suited to both transmission and reception of data and videoservices. Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems are typically used forpacket data systems, since they make much more efficient use of theavailable bandwidth, in order to deliver a much higher effective datarate to the end user. TDD is typically used in fixed wired solutions orpoint-to-point wireless systems because it has its own spectrumlimitations. TDD systems, however, have not hitherto been deployed forvoice systems.

[0011] Unlike the personal communication radio system of U.S. Pat. No.5,943,322—Mayer, et al., the Time-Division Protocol (TDP) of the presentinvention does not care about the modem-type of access to radiospectrum, and is designed to work with or without a base station orgateway, since modem functionality is not part of the TDP of the presentinvention. The protocol of the present invention uses onecontrol/configuration channel and three or more data channels, wherecommunication between radio terminals is planned for preventinginterference. Time synchronization is independent of the communication,whereby no collisions among terminals are possible for configurationdata, excepting in the last time slot, and no collisions are possible inthe data channels, as described above. The protocol of the presentinvention may transmit data and video, in addition to voice, since eachis just another class of data.

[0012] The system of the present invention is much more complex due tomultiple, parallel data channels that are coordinated by a singlereservation channel. In this system, a combination of CSMA/CA, TDMA(time division multiple access), FDMA (frequency division multipleaccess), and CDMA (code division multiple access) is used within thechannel access algorithm. The transceiver used in the system employs twomodems to solve the channel reliability issues with multiple channeldesigns, as disclosed in the above-described copending U.S. applicationSer. No. 09/705,588. Specifically, the system dedicates a receive-onlymodem for gathering channel usage information on the reservationchannel. The reservation channel operates a hybrid CSMA/CA and TDMAalgorithm. The remainder of the protocol uses FDMA for the multiple datachannels, and CDMA for multiple users on the same data channel.Reference is also had to copending, commonly-owned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/, fi on 2001, entitled “Prioritized-Routing foran Ad-Hoc, Peer-to-Peer, Mobile Radio Access System”, which isincorporated by reference herein, in which there is disclosed an exampleof routing table messaging which may be used in the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] It is the primary objective of the present invention to providean ad-hoc radio system as part of an overall, larger cellular network,and/or as a stand-alone, independent system, in order to providecommercial use for providing voice, data and video communicationsbetween radio terminals of the radio system of the invention and betweenequipment outside the system of the invention.

[0014] It is also a primary objective of the present invention toprovide an overall protocol for ad-hoc radio system not utilizing afixed base station, whereby a connection path by which a call is madetakes into consideration the power loss associated therewith, in orderto determine the least-energy routing of a call for the particularservice type being transmitted, such as voice, data or video.

[0015] The protocol of the present invention is based on a time-divisionduplex (TDD) plus code-division multiple access (CDMA) burst packettechnology used within the channel access algorithm of the system of thepresent invention. This provides the improvements in throughput andreliability that are required to deliver high quality voice, video anddata The reservation channel implements a time division multiple accessalgorithm with dynamic slot allocation. In a distributed manner, nodesdetermine geographic reuse of slots based on channel quality. Signalquality calculations are used to determine the likelihood of a slotreuse causing destructive interference within a node's neighborhood.Requests for slot usage are compared with the known traffic pattern andaccepted or rejected by nodes within RF signal range based on the signalquality calculations. Additionally, the algorithm of the presentinvention readily provides for the mobility of nodes between geographicareas through the use of a special slot that is reserved for nodeswithout reservations. Nomadic nodes use this slot to locate a permanentslot to claim for their use. Once claimed, the collision free propertiescan be enforced to improve the reliability and throughput of messagesgenerated by this node. This results in a maximal use of the spectrumwithin a geographic area.

[0016] The system of the present invention utilizes a method andalgorithm which, in the preferred embodiment, i

intended for an ad-hoc network system called “ArachNet”, and is based onleast-energy routing of calls from between network radio terminals. Insimple terms, the major component of the routing decision is to choose t

route to the destination that uses the least amount of energy over thecomplete route. The major reason for thi

that least-energy routing minimizes the radiated RF energy, in order toreduce interference between terminal A consequence of this is that itcreates the most efficient use of the power supply of the terminals.Routing tables based on this least energy routing a developed by thesystem of the invention, and stored at one or mor

radio terminals, which routing tables are transmitted and stored byother terminals forming part of the link by which a call is connected.An example of such a routing table is disclosed in copending,commonly-owned U

patent application Ser. No. 09/

, filed on 2001, entitled “Prioritized-Routing for a Ad-Hoc,Peer-to-Peer, Mobile Radio Access System”, which is incorporated byreference herein.

[0017] Variants or equivalents of the system of the invention arepossible. There are a number of variants of this approach that wouldprovide acceptable performance. These variants include tuning of each ofthe four access schemes—CSMA/CA, TDMA, FDMA, and CDMA. For example, thewidth of the time slots may be adjusted based on the specific networkover which the protocol is executing. Performance of the network is verydependent on the number of parallel data channels which can be used. Abalance exists between the capacity of the reservation channel to makedata reservations and the capacity of the data channels to provideservice. This balance is dependent on the underlying capabilities of thededicated, reservations-channel modem that implements the protocol. Theperformance of the protocol is also dependent on the inclusion of thechannel quality extracted from the channel. Accurate estimates of thesignal strength translate into improvements in geographic reuse, whichcan be obtained by aggressive power control schemes. Another example isthe use of advancements in the codes used within the CDMA portion. Codeswhich improve the cross-correlation performance of terminals which sharea common data channel improve the throughput and reliability of theoverall network performance.

[0018] The adaptive power algorithm of system of the present inventionleads to improvements in the determination of RF radius for a given datarate. Increasing the data rate and reducing power promotes geographicreuse. Any loss in communication is easily compensated by our ad-hocrouting algorithms.

[0019] The channel access approach of the invention is equallyapplicable for subnets which include or do not include gateways. In thegateway approach, time is coordinated within the ad hoc environment bythe gateway. In the non-gateway approach, a distributed time algorithmprovides acceptable performance. In general, gateways permit thecreation of larger networks such as MAN's and WAN's.

[0020] While the protocol method of the present invention is disclosedwith regard to an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system, the protocol isequally applicable to any wireless LAN, wireline network, and the like,to which the method and system disclosed in copending U.S. applicationSer. No. 09/705,588 may apply.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The present invention will be more readily understood withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0022]FIG. 1 is a logical flow chart showing the software structure ofthe protocol of the system of the present invention;

[0023]FIG. 2 is depiction of the time-division of the TDD protocol (AP)of the present invention showing the time frames thereof with separatedtime slots;

[0024]FIG. 3 is a depiction of the many terminals AT connected to aparticular gateway of the system of the present invention connecting theterminals to an exterior network, with one particular AT entering theservice domain thereof and the connection path thereof;

[0025]FIG. 4 is a depiction similar to FIG. 3, but showing theparticular AT moving away from the gateway and other AT's, wherebydisconnection or reconnection must be carried out;

[0026]FIG. 5 is a depiction similar to FIGS. 3 and 4, showing a gatewayconnecting the system to outside networks, which connection path doesnot require very high speed, and where the total energy for passing dataalong the route is minimized;

[0027]FIG. 6 is a depiction of the time frames (TF's) with time slots(TS's) of the protocol of the system of the present invention requiredfor performing one hop between terminals (AT's) for a permanent link, inorder to assure proper communication;

[0028]FIG. 7 is a depiction similar to FIGS. 3-5, but showing theconnecting route between two AT's of a local link, in order to controlpower requirements of the AT's;

[0029]FIG. 8 is a graphical depiction showing an AT approaching a groupof AT's and the closed triangular connection therebetween;

[0030]FIG. 9 is a graphical depiction similar to FIG. 8 showing the opentriangular connection therebetween if the AT's experience powerreduction, whereby connection is preserved via the intermediate AT withensuing reduction in energy loss;

[0031]FIG. 10 is a graphical depiction similar to FIGS. 8 and 9 showingthe perturbed power profile of the AT's and the connection therebetweenafter the lowering of the power of all of the AT's;

[0032]FIG. 11 is a graphical depiction similar to FIG. 10 and showingthe closed triangular connection therebetween after one time frame afterpower perturbation; and

[0033]FIG. 12 is a graphical depiction similar to FIG. 11 and showingthe open triangular connection therebetween after two time frame afterpower perturbation with the ensuing steadystate, energy-savingpath-connection between the AT's.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] For purposes of a better understanding of the description, thefollowing definitions and abbreviations are hereby given:

DEFINITIONS

[0035] “Service Area of a Terminal”

[0036] The geographical area where the transmission of a terminal can bereceived at a level higher than environment noise.

[0037] “Receive Set of a Terminal”

[0038] The set of terminals located within the service area

[0039] “Transmit Set of a Terminal”

[0040] The set of terminals containing one particular terminal withintheir service areas. “Service Set of a Terminal”

[0041] The set of terminals that can receive the transmission of oneparticular terminal and can be received at that terminal (theintersection between the receive set and the transmit set).

[0042] “Simple Connection”

[0043] An abstract notion associated to two terminals that cancommunicate one with another.

[0044] “Connecting Path”

[0045] A set of adjacent Simple Connections.

[0046] “Service Group of a Terminal”

[0047] The largest set of terminals containing at least one ConnectingPath between the host terminal and any other terminal of the set.

[0048] “Set of Active Time Slots”

[0049] All time slots used by the service set of a terminal.

[0050] “Source Terminal”

[0051] The terminal requesting the service.

[0052] “Destination Terminal”

[0053] The terminal requested to provide the service.

[0054] “Route”

[0055] The Connecting Path between the Source and the Destination of aservice (voice, Internet access or data transfer).

[0056] “Link”

[0057] The Route, the Service and the transmitting plan at each hopalong the route.

[0058] “Isolated Network”

[0059] A network of terminals not connected to a gateway.

ABBREVIATIONS

[0060] AD Application data

[0061] Data required or generated by an application using AT for datatransfer. Examples of such applications are: Internet browser,telephone, file transfer server/client, Internet games, e-mailsend/receive, short message services, Internet radio/TVbroadcaster/receiver, emergency video/audio/text messagebroadcaster/receiver, report of appliance (including automotive)functionality status, teleconferencing video/audio participant, etc.

[0062] AP Arachnet Protocol

[0063] The protocol supporting the connection and data transfer betweenAT's.

[0064] AT Arachnet Terminal

[0065] The wireless terminal of the system of the present invention.

[0066] ATS Active Time Slot Set

[0067] The set of time slots that are used by an AT or its service set.

[0068] CD Configuration Data

[0069] Data exchanged in Configuration Channel for maintaining theconnectivity between AT's.

[0070] CC Configuration Channel

[0071] The radio channel selected for exchanging Configuration Data(channel F0).

[0072] DC Data Channel

[0073] Radio channels used for exchanging Application data (channels F1,F2 and F3).

[0074] GW Gateway

[0075] The special type of fixed AT that provides connection to “theWorld” through “land” (not wireless) connections.

[0076] IFTG Inter Frame Time Gap

[0077] The time gap between the end of the last TS of a TF and thebeginning of the next TF.

[0078] IN Isolated Network

[0079] The network not connected to the world. An IN has a root AT thatprovides the functionality needed for data routing and connectivity.

[0080] LLC Logical Link Control

[0081] The higher level of the protocol stack providing the interfacebetween the network and applications.

[0082] MAC Medium Access Control

[0083] The medium level of the protocol stack providing the control ofthe access to the radio spectrum.

[0084] PAL Physical Access Layer

[0085] The lower level of the protocol stack responsible fortransmitting and receiving data to/from other AT's.

[0086] R×S Receive Set

[0087] The set of terminals that can receive the signal transmitted bythe AT owning the set.

[0088] SA Service Area

[0089] The area where the signal transmitted by an AT can be received ata level higher than environment noise.

[0090] SG Service Group of an AT

[0091] The group of AT's that can be connected to the host AT with atleast one connecting path.

[0092] SS Service Set

[0093] The set of AT's that can receive the transmission from the hostAT and can be received at the host AT.

[0094] TF Time Frame

[0095] A division of the time. The size of TF if configurable anddepends on several environmental factors.

[0096] TS Time Slot

[0097] A division of the TF. The size and number of TS within a TF isconfigurable.

[0098] T×S Transmit Set of an AT

[0099] The set of AT's that can be received by the host AT.

[0100] The protocol (AP) of the system of the present invention appliesto an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio network system having coordinatingchannel access to shared parallel data channels via a separatereservation channel, as disclosed in copending U.S. application Ser. No.09/705,588. In the radio network system of the invention, there is nofixed base station; each radio terminal is capable of acting as a mobilebase station. The protocol of the present invention provides such anad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system with the capability of preventingcollisions of data transfer. In high-density populated area (conferencehalls, stadium, downtown of big cities, etc.), the protocol of thepresent invention allows each terminal to perform close to its maximumtheoretical capacity, while dropping the requests in excess. Suchbehavior is in contrast with conventional polling-type protocols thatcannot provide any service when the number of requested connections islarger than a particular fraction of terminal capacity.

[0101] For implementing the protocol of the present invention, eachterminal (AT) has full information about all activities of otherterminals and will provide all other terminals with full informationabout its own activity. According to the present invention, acombination of TDMA (time division multiple access), FDMA (frequencydivision multiple access), and CDMA (code division multiple access) isused within the channel access algorithm of the system of the presentinvention. This provides the improvements in throughput and reliabilitythat are required to deliver high quality voice, video or data. Thereservation channel implements a time division multiple access (TDMA)algorithm with dynamic slot allocation. In a distributed manner, nodesdetermine geographic reuse of slots based on channel quality extractedfrom messaging in a separate reservation channel. Signal qualitycalculations are used to determine the likelihood of a slot reusecausing destructive interference within a node's neighborhood. Requestsfor slot usage are compared with the known traffic patterns, andaccepted or rejected by nodes within RF signal range based on the signalquality calculations. Additionally, the algorithm of the presentinvention readily provides for the mobility of nodes between geographicareas through the use of a special slot that is reserved for nodeswithout reservations. Nomadic nodes use this slot to locate a permanentslot to claim for their use. Once claimed, the collision free propertiescan be enforced to improve the reliability and throughput of messagesgenerated by this node. This results in a maximal use of the spectrumwithin a geographic area.

[0102] The system of the present invention utilizes a method andalgorithm for ad-hoc network system that is based on least-energyrouting of calls from and between network radio terminals. In simpleterms, the major component of the routing decision is to choose theroute to the destination that uses the least amount of energy over thecomplete route. The major reason for this is that least-energy routingminimizes the radiated RF energy, in order to reduce interferencebetween terminals. A consequence of this is that it creates the mostefficient use of the power supply of the terminals.

[0103] In a medium dynamically changing its structure, superlativenotions as “full connectivity”, “optimal configuration” or “beststructure” are, in fact, not applicable, because they cannot be exactlydefined. The protocol of the invention makes full use of all availableinformation (that may be incomplete or approximate) about other terminalactivities and broadcasts full information about its own current orintended activity. Such cooperative attitude creates the capability toplan and check data-transfer planning before data transfer is initiated.

[0104] In most of the cases, the application data are exchanged betweenterminals using the same or less transmitting power than the power usedfor exchanging configuration data on the control or configurationchannel. This fact allows better use and reuse of frequencies and timeallocation, and makes the application data exchange less sensitive tointerference from hidden terminals (AT's).

[0105] For supporting the protocol of the present invention each AT ofthe radio system has the following capabilities:

[0106] Measures the level of received signal with very good precision;

[0107] Measures the level of received radio noise with very goodprecision;

[0108] Controls the transmit power;

[0109] Changes fast from receiving to transmitting;

[0110] Changes fast the transmitting or receiving frequency;

[0111] Uses a dedicated receiver for listening to Configuration Channelmessages;

[0112] Controls the data rate; and

[0113] Uses a mean for network clock synchronization.

Software Architecture

[0114] Referring now to FIG. 1, the protocol of the invention isimplemented as a three-layer software stack. The lowest, the PhysicalAccess Layer (PAL) 10, is responsible for transmitting and receivingconfiguration and application data. It exchanges configuration data withthe Middle Access layer (MAC) 12 and application data with the highestlayer, the Logical Link Control (LLC) 14. Data is received andtransmitted according with the communication plans elaborated at MAC.The Medium Access Control (MAC) is responsible for processing receivedconfiguration data, for controlling the transmit power, data rate, forcreating the data transmit plans and for building the configuration datato be transmitted to the Service Set (SS) of AT terminals. It exchangesrouting data with the LLC and configuration data (power, data rate,transmit plans) with the Physical Access Layer. The protocol of thepresent invention is carried out in this MAC layer. As will explainedhereinbelow, when there exists an isolated network (IN) of terminals,the protocol of the invention is capable of being carried out by eachrespective AT. Control (LLC) layer is responsible for exchangingapplication data between applications and the Physical Access Layer(PAL). Data received from PAL is unpacked, decrypted and distributed toapplications. Data from application is encrypted, packed (adding routinginformation), and passed to the PAL to be transmitted.

[0115] The exchange of configuration data (CD) between AT'sparticipating in a network of the present invention is accomplished inconfiguration channel using frequency F0. The other channels (F1, F2,F3) are used for transferring application data (AD) between AT's, thusconstituting FDMA scheme of the multiple aspect protocol of theinvention.

[0116] The Protocol of the present invention uses a time division scheme(TDD) for organizing the access to airwaves. Referring to FIG. 2, thetime is divided in time frames (TF) 16, and each frame is divided intime slots (TS) 18. At the end of each time frame is the Inter FrameTime Gap (IFTG) 20 that has a different length than the regular TS.During the IFTG, no data is sent out by any AT, so that each ATprocesses data collected from other AT's during the time frame, and willperform required calculations, such as power level, data channelconnectivity, etc.

[0117] A terminal (AT) can transmit configuration data in F0 only duringits own assigned Time Slot (TS). Initially, an AT signals its presenceusing the last TS of the time frame. With the next time frame, it mustrelocate to another TS with a lower rank, that is one earlier in thetime frame. This relocation policy reduces substantially the possibilityof collisions in the configuration channel. If two or more AT's try tostart working during the same time frame (TF), their transmissions maycollide, but the collision is identified and corrected by means ofconventional PN coding (CDMA). The probability of collision in the datachannels (DC's) is almost zero for AT's, since the reservation channelinformation exchange has already ensured such a collision-freetransmission, either by way of the chosen data channel for transmission(FDMA).

[0118] The power level of the modem for the configuration channel (CC)information is greater than that of the modem for transmitting data onthe data channels (DC), since an AT must first send out connectivityinformation with enough power to reach other AT's of its respectiveservice set (SS). Once this has been done, and a routing pathdetermined, which routing path will indicate the first AT that shallconstitute the first hop or link of the routing path, which hop iscloser to the requesting AT than at least most of all of the other AT'sof the SS, the other modem dedicated to the transmission of data on theDC's will only have to transmit at a power level less than that of themodem dedicated to the configuration channel. Thus, since applicationsdata (AD) are transmitted at a lower power than that of theconfiguration data (CD), the condition for collision in data channelscan be identified before it occurs, with appropriate measures beingtaken for preventing it, such as the use of CDMA. In addition, since thedata channel data is transmitted at a lower power level, interference isreduced since the RF waves of the data channels do not propagate as faralong the SS. It is noted that in the case where the primary modem isused most of the time for transmitting both configuration data as wellas channel data, with the dedicated reservation-channel modem only beingused when the primary modem is occupied with sending out messaging onthe data channels, the primary modem will have its power level changedin accordance with which channel it is transmitting, as disclosed incopending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/705,588. However, in thepreferred form of the invention, the dedicated configuration-channelmodem receives and transmits configuration data regardless of the stateof the primary modem.

[0119] At very heavy loading, the degradation of the service provided bythe protocol of the present invention is expected to remain constant, incontrast with prior-art polling-type protocols that collapse abruptly insimilar conditions.

OPERATION

[0120] When first powered on, or when approaching a group, the newterminal (AT) listens to messages in the time frames (TF), creates autilization map based thereon, and computes its transmit power, in themanner disclosed in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/705,588.According to the protocol of the present invention, it submits the firstmessage in the last time slot (TS) of the time frame, using as muchpower as needed in order to reach all AT's from which it has receivedsimilar messaging, that is its service set (SS). The message shows theutilization map it knows about, and requests to register with theclosest AT. In the utilization map, it marks as busy all time slots (TS)during which a message or high-level noise was received during the lasttime frame, and also marks the time slot where it intends to move towith the next frame. The TS where it wants to move in the next timeframe will have been reported as free in utilization maps of all AT's ofthe SS. In every time frame, the AT creates the utilization map based ontime slots it identified as being busy (a signal was received during theTS), and it receives similar maps from all other AT's in thetransmit-set of each AT (TxS). Identifying free TS's consists in makinga bit-wise OR between all received maps. The result shows free timeslots as bits with value zero and busy TS as bits with value one.

[0121] The Configuration Channel (CC) is used for passing two kinds ofmessages: connectivity and data transfer plans. All messages in theconnectivity group contain the utilization map, the power used fortransmitting the message, and the level of environment noise at atransmission site, beside other, specific, conventional information.These messages register, un-register, and communicate the respective ATstatus. The status message is transmitted whenever no other message ispending in order to maintain connection.

[0122] The group of messages for data transfer planning is used foradjusting the transmit power, building, re-building, re-routing andreleasing links, as described hereinbelow in detail. As disclosed incopending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/705,588, some of them are usedbefore starting the transfer of data packet, and some are used while thedata transfer takes place. Data Channels (DC's) are mainly used formoving data packets from one AT to another. Some of the data transfersrequire confirmation/rejection of received data, and some not. Arejection of received data is an automatic request for retransmittingthe associated data package. Broadcast services do not require anyconfirmation of received data correctness.

CONNECTIVITY Connected Network

[0123] In order to talk to the “world”, each AT should be connecteddirectly or indirectly to a gateway that connects the AT's of theservice group of AT's (SG) to an outside network, such as a cellularnetwork, PSTN, and the like. When it is connected indirectly, theconnectivity is realized through another AT or AT's. An AT loses itsconnectivity if an unlink AT (an AT closer to the gateway along theconnection path) becomes out of range (cannot be heard anymore), or ifthe uplink AT loses its connectivity. The AT so losing its connectionwill look for the closest (smallest path loss) connected AT providingthe smallest path loss of power, and reconnect through it. If noconnected AT is found in the current service set (SS), the disconnectedAT will send out status messages every time frame (TF). The transmitpower of that AT is increased one dBm every other TF, until another,connected AT answers back. If after reaching the maximum transmittingpower (28 dBm) no connected AT can be included in the SS, the AT and itsSS are considered as isolated. An SS can be isolated only if the SGcontaining the SS is isolated, also. An isolated AT will adjust itspower according with the power and space topology of its SS.Periodically, isolated AT's will transmit messages using the maximumtransmitting power until it is heard by a connected AT that provides theconnectivity to the world via a gateway. While an SG is isolated, theservices can be provided only between those terminals-members of theservice group (SG). An AT that has no service set (SS) will send outmessages every 60 seconds using the maximum power. The self-testingfunctions will be activated before sending out any high-power message toverify hardware viability, since improperly working AT's can disable thenetwork by sending out interfering signals.

[0124] When the AT is powered on, it listens to the transmit set (TxS)from other AT's. It identifies the path loss for each TxS member bysubtracting the strength level of the received signal from the transmitpower. The highest path loss is used for setting the current transmitpower in the configuration channel (CC). The new AT submits aregistration request to the closest (smallest path loss) connected AT inthe last TS, as described above. The registration request is forwardedto a gateway for use by the LLC layer software. Each terminal along thepath remembers the fact that it helped to register the new AT. The firstuplink AT is responsible for monitoring the activity of the newlyregistered AT, and submits a request to unregister it in case it becomesout of range, or if it was heard requesting registration with anotherAT.

[0125] Referring to FIG. 3, AT7 is shown entering the network. Theconnecting process and the information held at each AT in this networkis as follows:

[0126] AT7 1. Submits the registration request to AT6;

[0127] 2. Monitors the evolution of path loss to all received AT's andadjusts the transmit power according with path loss variation and noiselevel in each AT area; if AT6 is predicted to get out of range in next 5seconds, AT7 searches for another AT to connect through;

[0128] 3. Monitors the registration status of the AT6.

[0129] Connectivity data: Uplink—AT7 Downlink—none:

[0130] AT6 1. Submits the received registration request of AT7 to AT3;

[0131] 2. Monitors the path loss to all received AT's and adjusts itsown transmit power according with path loss variation and the noiselevel in each AT area; if AT7 becomes out of range, it submits to AT3the request to unregister AT7;

[0132] 3. Monitors the activity of AT7; if it identifies that AT7requests registration with another AT, AT6 submits to AT3 the request tounregister AT7;

[0133] 4. Monitors the evolution of path loss to AT3; if AT3 ispredicted to get out of range in next 5 seconds, it searches for anotherAT to connect through;

[0134] 5. Monitors the registration status of the AT3.

[0135] Connectivity data: Uplink—AT3 Downlink—AT7:

[0136] AT3 1. Submits the received registration request of AT7 toGateway;

[0137] 2. Monitors the path loss to all received AT's and adjusts itsown transmit power accordingly; if any of AT4, AT5 or AT6 becomes out ofrange, submits to Gateway the request unregistration the AT;

[0138] 3. Monitors the activity of AT4, AT5 and AT6; if any of themrequests registration with another AT, submits the un-register requestto the Gateway;

[0139] 4. Monitors the evolution of path loss to Gateway; if it ispredicted to get out of range in less than 5 seconds, it searches foranother AT (or gateway) to connect through.

[0140] Connectivity data: Uplink—Gateway Downlink—AT4, AT5, and AT6/AT7:Gateway

[0141] 1. Submits registration of AT7 to the global database;

[0142] 2. Monitors the evolution of path loss to all AT's it can receiveand adjusts its own transmit power accordingly.

[0143] Connectivity data: Uplink—world Downlink—AT1/ . . . , AT2/ . . ., and AT3/AT4, AT5, AT6, AT7.

[0144] The registration process creates a tree structure rooted at thegateway. Each AT knows the uplink through which it registered, and thelist of direct downlinked AT's from the AT requesting registration. Toeach direct downlink is associated the list of AT's registered throughit. If any AT is turned off or loses the connection with its uplink, theuplink submits the request to unregister the AT that has lost theconnection and all its downlink AT's. The unregistration requires allAT's receiving and transmitting to remove the information about theunregistered AT's from their lists.

[0145] The Gateway sends to the Global Database only registrationrequests. As a result, the Global Database remembers the Gateway wherethe AT was connected last time.

[0146] Referring now to FIG. 4, it is shown the case where AT6 is movingaway from AT3, with which it had been registered and by which it hadbeen connected to the gateway 22. As result, it requests to registerwith AT5 by sending a message thereto. AT3 listens to this request, andsubmits to Gateway 22 the request to unregister AT6 and AT7. If AT3cannot hear AT6 requesting to re-register, it means that the AT6 is outof the range of AT3 and that AT3 must submit to Gateway 22 the requestto unregister AT6 when the condition occurs. If the request from AT5 toregister AT6 comes before the time-out, AT3 has only to update theconnectivity data by moving the AT6 downlink list to AT5 downlink list.

[0147] If AT3 can hear AT6, the process develops as follows: TransmitTransmitter Frame Transmit data Update Receiver Receiver Update 1 AT6Self Replace uplink AT5 Open AT6 downlink register AT3 with AT5 listwith AT5 1 AT3 Move AT6 downlink list (AT6 and AT7) to un-register list2 AT3 Un-register Remove AT6 from Gateway Remove AT6 from AT6un-register list AT3 downlink list 2 AT5 Register AT3 Add AT6 to AT5 AT6downlink list 2 AT6 Register AT5 Add AT7 to AT6 AT7 downlink list 3 AT3Un-register Remove AT7 from Gateway Remove AT7 from AT7 list AT3downlink list. 3 AT5 Register AT3 Add AT7 to AT5 AT7 downlink list 4 AT3Register Gateway Add AT6 to AT3 AT6 downlink list 5 AT3 Register GatewayAdd AT7 to AT3 AT7 downlink list

[0148] Transmit Transmit Transmitter Receiver Frame AT data AT Update ATReceiver Update 1 AT6 Self Replace uplink AT5 Open AT6 downlink registerAT3 with AT5 list with AT5 2 AT5 Register AT3 Add AT6 to AT5 AT6downlink list. Since AT6 was a direct downlink, all its downlink list ismoved to un-register list. 2 AT6 Register AT5 Add AT7 to AT6 AT7downlink list 3 AT3 Un- Remove AT7 from Gateway Remove AT7 from registerun-register list AT3 downlink list. AT7 3 AT5 Register Add AT7 to AT6AT3 Add AT7 to AT5 AT7 downlink list downlink list 4 AT3 RegisterGateway Add AT6 to AT3 AT6 downlink list 5 AT3 Register Gateway Add AT7to AT3 AT7 downlink list

[0149] The “unregister list” contains all AT's to be unregistered. Noregistration request is processed if the “unregister list” is not empty.

[0150] All operations described herein are executed in the configurationchannel (CC) only. If any of the AT's involved in connectivity updateare supporting data transfer at the time, the data transfer is notaffected.

Isolated Network

[0151] When powered on, each terminal is isolated. The AT tries to finda registered AT and register to the world through it through a last timeslot of a time frame, as described above. The search consists in sendingout status messages and listening for answers. At first, the AT listensin the configuration channel (CC). If no other AT can be heard, ittransmits the status message in a time slot (TS) randomly selected. Withevery time frame (TF), it increases the transmitting power until aresponse is received. The response may be from a gateway 22 or otherAT's. In the next step, the requesting AT requests the registration withone of the correspondents in the following priorities: The closestgateway, the closest AT registered with the world, or the closest ATregistered with an isolated network. If no response is heard and thetransmitting power is at maximum level (28 dBm), the AT is, therefore,isolated, and becomes the “root” of an isolated network (IN). Theidentification of the IN is the time in seconds since the Jan. 1^(st),2001 when the AT was powered on, or another similar method.

[0152] All members of an isolated network (IN) send out the statusmessage at maximum power level (28 dBm) at a random rate, varyingbetween 10 and N seconds, where N is three times the number of membersin the IN. The message is sent in the last time slot (TS) of the firsttime frame (TF). AT's in the same IN do not adjust their power based onthe message received during the last TS of the first TF. The message isintended to identify the possible connectivity to another IN or toconnected networks. The AT, including the root, that can hear AT's frommore than one isolated network (IN), should request registration withthe closest AT member of the IN with the largest identification number(the older). This method will create in an IN a tree structure similarwith the structure of a connected network (CN)

Routing

[0153] Most of the time, AT's are connected to the world through agateway or gateways 22. In some particular cases, a group of AT's can beisolated from the world, if no functioning gateway is available. Routingdata through an isolated network (IN) is no different than routing datathrough a connected network (CN).

Powering a Link

[0154] For supporting the transfer of data between AT's, the protocol(AP) of the present invention uses the concept of a “link”. The link isthe selected route connecting the source AT to the destination AT orgateway, and includes: The type of service provided, such as voice, dataor video; the time slot (TS) used on each AT hop for transporting data;and, indirectly, the application instantiation. Between an AT and agateway there may be active in the same time many links each supportinganother application or instance of the same application. Applicationdata is usually transferred between the AT and associated gateway by thelink, using a sequence of many AT's. The AT-connectivity process createsa connectivity path between the terminal and its gateway. Theconnectivity path uses the smallest possible power, which, therefore,implies the use of a large number of hops and a large pipeline delay,which is permissible when the class of service is data transfer.

[0155] Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown the connection path of:Gateway->AT3->AT5->AT6->AT7. This may be used to support the link thatpasses data for applications not requiring very high speed, or acceptinglarge delay or latency. Thus, the total energy used for passing dataalong this route is the smallest possible. Over the connectivity createdby the longest path, one has the route Gateway->AT3->AT7 that has onlytwo hops, and may be used for exchanging data with applicationsrequiring smaller delays such as voice or video transmission. Theconnectivity route Gateway->AT7 has one hop only, but it requires muchmore energy than any other route. A high-energy route implies the use ofhigh transmit power for transmitting the data According to the presentinvention, in order to prevent unexpected interference, the transmittingpower in the data channels (DC's) are the same or lower than thetransmitting power in configuration channel (CC). In order to ensure thefull cooperation between AT's, the whole service group (SG) will adjustits power in the configuration channel (CC), even if only one route hasa real need for it, as described hereinbelow.

[0156] The use of high transmit-power has two side effects. It drainsthe battery of mobile AT's faster, and reduces the availability ofsystem resources, making it difficult to reuse frequency and time slots.If the connection path between the gateway 22 and the client AT has N₁hops, and the gateway power is P₁, and the length of the connectionroute should be no more than N₂ hops, the new power to be used at eachend of the path is P₂ $\begin{matrix}{P_{2} = {P_{1} + {\left\lceil {30{{\lambda log}_{10}\left( \frac{N_{1}}{N_{2}} \right)}} \right\rceil {dB}\quad m}}} & \text{(0-1)}\end{matrix}$

[0157] Equation (0-1) provides a means to compute the new, greater powerP₂ that should make the path to have only N₂ hops. The parameter λ isthe “space absorption” factor. Its value is dependent on many factors,including the propagation media characteristics, such as free space,concrete walls and floors, wooden walls, metal frame structure, foliage,and the like, lateral reflections, vertical reflections, etc. Theinitial value for λ may be 1.0, but it should be adjusted based onsystem reaction to the intent to the changing of the number of hops.

[0158] The corrected power is applied at the gateway and at the clientAT, a fact that attracts automatic change of the power profile along theentire connection route. If the correction does not have the expectedresult, a second correction will be applied after the route has beenestablished.

Messaging Based on Least Energy Routing

[0159] The protocol of the present invention is based on least energyrouting determination, as discussed previous especially whentransmitting data. The routing table messaging that is exchanged betweentermimals may ha format as that disclosed in copending, commonly-ownedU.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/

, fi

on 2001, entitled “Prioritized-Routing for an Ad-Hoc, Peer-to-Peer,Mobile Radio Access Syste which is incorporated by reference herein.

[0160] of the protocol of the invention is used to set up the optimalpath of a call. The following algorithm of the protocol of the presentinvention is based on this minimum energy routing. source-routing(message_ptr,msg-length,destination, msg-type) /* source based routingincluding link adaption algorithm opt_route(destination, msg type) /*determine optimal route_to destination this will return the bestavailable route based on Class Of Service (COS) from msg type and othernetwork parameters including link quality. The returned information willbe used to calculate the data rate and power level */ calc_symbol rate(sym_rate) calc_code rate (code_rate) calc_pwr_level (pwr_level)send_msg(RTS,msg_length,destination,sym_rate,code_rate,pwr_level) /*send RTS to first router and await CTS to send the data packet opt_route(destination, msg_type) RTS refers to Request-To-Send message; CTSrefers to Clear-To-Send message; msg refers to the message sent fromeach terminal. /*The following algorithm determines the best route tothe destination based on the COS in the message type.

[0161] The following example illustrates the decision process:

[0162] Route1 term1->term4

[0163] Low latency, BER =high

[0164] Route 2 term1 ->term2->term4

[0165] High latency, BER =low

[0166] Route 3 term1->term2->term3->term4

[0167] High latency, BER=low

[0168] Route 4 term1->term5 ->term6 ->term4

[0169] Low latency, BER =low

[0170] BER is Bit-Error-Rate; latency is delay.

[0171] In the case of a voice call that has a COS that can tolerate ahigh BER but not high latency, it would choose route 1 over route 4because it cannot tolerate high latency.

[0172] In the case of a data call that has a COS that can tolerate highlatency but not high BER, it will choose route 2 or route 3.

Linking

[0173] The protocol (AP) of the present invention defines permanent andtemporary links. A permanent link remains active until it is changed orreleased, while a temporary link is used only once. Permanent links areused for transmitting any type of information, such as voice, data andvideo. The subsystem providing the information may not be able toprovide it at a constant rate while the link is being planned. If thereis no information to be transmitted when the transmission time comes,the AT sends a “maintenance” package which has no other reason otherthan to maintain the link active, and to give the next hop theopportunity to measure and reply regarding transmission quality. Themaintenance packages are also created at a gateway 22 when theland-network is late and provides no data, or at any AT that receivesincorrect data and has no data in link queue. The maintenance packet isdropped if the receiving AT has data packets in link queue. Otherwise,the maintenance packet is sent to next AT in the link. A hop of the linkis released (removed from AT data structures) when no data, nomaintenance packet and no noise is received in the first time slot (TS)of the link hop. The lack of transmitted data is always followed by anabundance of data exceeding the capacity of the planned link. Packets ofdata have to be stored and planned for transmission in proper sequenceorder. A configuration parameter, combined with measurements of deliveryrate, is used for identifying when the amount of accumulated datarequires special action. Such action could be to drop some data inexcess, or to send out some of it using temporary links.

[0174] The permanent link is initiated when a service calls the clientAT or the client AT calls a service. The source AT and the gatewayidentify the depth, the number of hops between the gateway and the AT,of the client AT. The required number of hops is computed according withservice requirements. The gateway and client AT transmitting power inthe configuration channel (CC) is computed using equation (0-1). Foreach hop, the power in the data channels (DC) is computed based on powerloss to the next hop. If needed, the power used in the configurationchannel (CC) is increased, such that it is at least 2 dBm higher thanthe data-channel transmits power. The transmit plan is built using onlyfree TS's and TF's. The link message transmitted to the next hopcontains the transmitting plan. If any member of the service set (SS)identifies any conflict in the transmitting plan, it answers backshowing the channel and the map of the time frame (TF) conflicting withthe plan. In such case, a new plan is issued using the newly achievedinformation. When the plan has no conflicts, the next hop accepts it byissuing a confirmation.

[0175] Referring to FIG. 6, it takes at least two time frames per hopfor making the connection. In the first time frame (TF), thetransmitting AT sends out the transmit plan as a Request-To-Send (RTS)message. In the next TF, it may receive rejections from other AT's,including the next AT in the route as Not-Clear-To-Send (NCTS) messages.If there are rejections, the transmitting AT issues a new transmit planand sends it out in a third TF. The receiving AT can send theClear-To-Send (CTS) message in the third TF, but it also has to listenif no transmit plan was reissued during the same frame. For assuringproper communication, the transmit-plan issued at AT11 must not use fortransmitting data the time slots (TS) that AT11 and AT12 are using forcommunication in the configuration channel (CC). When the permanent linkis not needed anymore, a message that requests releasing the link isissued.

[0176] A temporary link is initiated when the amount of informationaldata pertaining to a permanent link passes over a predefined limit, andit is too large to cover the network jitter. The initiator AT sends arequest for a temporary link which includes the transmit plan. If anymember of the service set (SS) finds any conflict in the plan with thecurrently assigned time frame (TF) and time slot (TS), the informationon conflicting data channel is transmitted. The issuer AT has to makeanother plan and re-transmit it. The next hop confirms the plan. Ittakes at least three TF's to fully define a temporary link. It meansthat the temporary link must target time slots that are in time framesat least three TF's ahead.

Local Link

[0177] The local link is defined as a link between two AT's connected tothe world through the same gateway or two members of the same isolatednetwork (IN). FIG. 7 shows the connecting route between AT4 and AT7. AT4requested the link to AT7. Depending upon the type of required service,it increases its power, and sends the request for power adjustment toAT7. The request is used for identifying a connection route between thesource and destination, and to control the power at both ends based onservice requirements. Since AT4 does not know where AT7 is located, itissues the power control message toward the gateway or the root AT. AT3receives this request and finds AT7 in the AT5 downlink list. It thendirects the message toward AT5. AT5 directs the request to AT6, and thenAT6 directs it to AT7.

[0178] In local links, the request is always started at an AT, whichsends it toward the gateway or root AT. While the requests advance, thedestination AT is checked in local lists of each node. If it is found,the link-request is routed toward the destination. If the link-requestarrives at the gateway and the destination AT is not in gateway list ofregistered AT's, the request is passed to the world that may reject itor connect to the service provider. In contrast with the gateway, theroot of isolated network (IN) rejects the link if the destination AT isnot in its registration list.

Building the Link

[0179] The process of building a link has two steps. In the first step,the request for setting the link power travels from the source to thedestination. The trace of the message is saved in each AT along theconnection route. The message carries information about the length ofthe path, which is incremented while the message is passed from one ATto the next. The power control request does not require confirmation.The sender listens in the next time frame (TF) if the next hopretransmits the message. If it does not, the message is repeated. Thesource increases its transmit power when sending out the power controlrequest based on its distance to the gateway, or the root AT if in anIN. When the message arrives at the end of the connection path, thedestination increases its transmit power in accordance with length ofthe path and service requirements. Then the destination sends out adummy Clear-to-Send (CTS) message using the new power. As response tothis message, all AT's that can hear it, and were part of the connectionpath for the link, answer with their Ready-To-Link (RTL) message. If thedestination made a substantial change in transmitting power, it has towait several frames until the service set (SS) stabilizes. After that,the source AT can select the proper AT from all of the answers from AT'sin order to build the first hop, based on that AT's position along theconnectivity route. While the link-hop is created using RTS/CTS/NCTSmessaging, all AT's along the connectivity path that can receive theRTS/CTS/NCTS messages answer with a RTL message. When the second hop isready to be built, the second AT in the link has data for selecting thenext AT in the path.

[0180] In FIG. 7, it is shown that AT6 answered the dummy CTS submittedby AT7 while it was increasing its power. Then AT7 issued the RTS toAT6. While AT6 was confirming the link-hop by sending a CTS message, AT4and AT5 received it, and answered with a RTL message. AT6 selected AT4for the next hop because it has the smallest distance from the source asopposed to AT5.

[0181] Building the link takes a relatively long time in the protocol(AP) of the present invention, but after it is built, the link remainsactive for a long time. Disconnections due to network mobility arerepaired while information is transferred, and do not require theredoing of the whole procedure. The power of each AT participating inthe respective link is adjusted dynamically in order to maintain theproper service-quality and network connectivity.

Rerouting

[0182] For AT's not supporting a link, the transmitting power in theconfiguration channel (CC) is computed based on the AT's relativepositions within the service group (SG). As an AT moves, it mayre-register with the same or with another gateway. An active link ismore rigid and follows the changes in the connectivity tree at a slowerpace. The AT's supporting the link have their power in the configurationchannel (CC) and data channels (DC) controlled by the group topology andthe type of supported service. When an AT predicts that itsuplink-connection will go out of range, or it is already out of range,it changes its uplink-connection and registers with another AT. The newregistration may or may not change the gateway to which the AT waspreviously registered. After the registration request, the AT sends outthe request for setting the transmit power and the request for reroutingthe link(s). Then, it registers all sources and destination of supportedlinks. Finally, the AT sends out the request to register all other AT'sthat have registered through it. Information from the gateway startsflowing through the new route as soon as it is connected. Informationtowards the gateway is directed to the new route after a delay of timeframes depending on the type of service provided. For slow connections,such as data, the delay is twice the requester distance to the gateway.For fast connections, such as voice and video, the delay is equal withthe requester distance to the gateway.

Re-link

[0183] Each data transmission is confirmed with an acknowledge (ACK)message. NACK message is used for marking improperly received data thathave to be retransmitted. The failure of data reception can be caused bymulti-path, co-channel or adjacent channel interference. Usually,lowering the transmission rate solves the multi-path interference.Re-planning the link segment solves the co-channel and adjacent channelinterference. A RELINK message is used for establishing a new transmitplan between two adjacent AT's of the same link.

Length Adjustment

[0184] The destination AT of the link can measure the delay and candecide to reduce it. The adjustment process starts with increasing thepower in the configuration channel (CC) and sending the power-requestmessage to the source. A dummy clear-to-send (CTS) message is issued forselecting the AT for the first hop of the link. The re-link request issent to this AT that continues the process, until it reaches the source.The re-link request travels against the informational flow. Informationis directed onto the new segments of the route at the AT's shared by thenew and old routes. The old segments of the route are released, since nodata is sent through them anymore.

[0185] Regarding data packets, since they have sequence numbers, afterrerouting a link, the destination AT could receive the data packets inincorrect sequence. It must send them in proper sequence. Therefore,late, out-of-sequence packets get the highest transmission priority.

Power Control

[0186] The control of power is important for maintaining theconnectivity between service group (SG) members and the quality ofinformational transfer.

Oscillation

[0187] The service group (SG) of AT's using the protocol (AP) of thepresent invention has the tendency to stabilize at a power profile thatreflects the relative path loss between terminals. This “stabilization”is not 100% accurate, because decisions made at one time frame (TF) arebased on measurements made during the previous TF. At the time thedecision is applied, the group has already changed its status. For thisreason, the group power-profile may have oscillations around its stableposition. For preventing this oscillation, the transmit power in theconfiguration channel (CC) is filtered using the power used in lastthree time frames (TF's). If there is a repeat of the transmitpower-level in last three TF's, the current transmit power-level iscomputed with the average between the currently computed power-level andthe transmit power-level used in previous TF; otherwise the lastcomputed power-level is used as transmit power-level.

Variation

[0188] In the configuration channel (CC), each AT listens to allterminals and measures the level of the received signals. The differencebetween the transmit power-level that is part of the received messageand the power-level of the received signal provides the measure of theloss of signal due to propagation. After listening to its service set(SS), a AT selects the largest path loss and adjusts its power-level tobe able to reach that terminal at a power-level higher than the localnoise. The protocol of the present invention makes the supposition thatthe path loss between any two terminals is symmetrical, excepting forlocal noise. In reality, the computed “signal loss” is not symmetricalin both directions, as receiver sensitivity and transmitter efficiencyhave variations from one terminal to another due to parts variety,manufacturing process, tuning, or terminal aging. The protocol (AP) ofthe present invention can properly control channel access if thesevariations are less than ±5 dB.

[0189] Each AT keeps historical data about path-loss evolution forpredicting the connection-status in next 3-5 seconds. Equation (0-2)provides a simple method for acquiring the path loss variation, asdescribed below. From measurements P(t₁) and P(t₂) of the path loss attime t₁ and t₂, the average path loss variation δ(t) is computed usingan IIF: $\begin{matrix}{{\delta \left( t_{2} \right)} = {{\left( {1 - k} \right){\delta \left( t_{1} \right)}} + {k{P\left( t_{2} \right)}} - \frac{P\left( t_{1} \right)}{t_{2} - t_{1}}}} & \text{(0-2)}\end{matrix}$

[0190] The factor k has a very small value (0.01 for example) that areidentified empirically. If the measurements are performed every timeframe (TF), the difference t₁-t₂ is always one. Then the equationbecomes:

δ=(1−k)δ′+k(P−P′)  (0-3)

[0191] In this equation, P and P′ are the values of path loss measuredin the current and the previous time frames (TF's), and δ and δ′ are thevalues of the average variation of the path loss for the current andprevious TF.

[0192] The average value of the path loss is computed with equation(0-4):

L=(1−k)L′+kP  (0-4)

[0193] In this equation, L is the average path loss, L′ is the previousaverage path loss, P is the last measured path loss, and k is the samefiltering constant as before. The predicted value of the path loss afterm time frames is computed with equation (0-5):

PL=L+mδ  (0-5).

[0194] If the predicted value of the transmit power that is computedbased on the predicted path loss and the noise at correspondent AT islarger than 28 dBm, the connection will be lost in m time frames. Sincethe increase of power in one AT can cause the whole group to increasethe transmit power, the AT may decide to re-register using another AT ifit is possible, where such decision may reduce substantially thetransmit power. After re-registering, the AT that supports at least alink should request to reroute it.

Optimization

[0195] When an AT moves away from its service group (SG), the transmitpower is increased in order to maintain the connectivity. When an ATmoves closer to its SG, the connectivity is preserved, if using thecurrent power-level, but this may not be economical. In FIG. 8, there isshown AT13 approaching its service group (SG). The transmitting power ofall members of this group is high enough to allow each AT to communicatewith the other two. If AT11 and AT13 reduce their power, they can stillbe connected through AT12. The condition supporting the decision tolower the power of AT13 and AT11 is that AT12 must be able to talk withboth of them.

[0196] In FIG. 9, there is shown the transmit area of each AT afterlowering the transmitting power. AT12 is located in the intersection oftransmit areas of AT11 and AT13, while AT11 and AT13 are in the transmitarea of AT12. It means that at this power profile, AT12 can communicatewith AT11 and AT13, but AT11 and AT13 cannot communicate with eachother. The system's total transmit power is smaller than it was before.The procedure can be repeated until no triangle is formed. Thisprocedure requires that AT11 and AT13 know that both of them can talk toAT12. The information must be achieved by listening to network “talk”which can be incomplete at any time.

[0197] The same effect can be achieved through a much more simpleprocedure. The system of AT's has the tendency to stabilize at aparticular power profile. After applying a perturbation, the systemreturns to the same or to another stable state. If the perturbationconsists in lowering the power, the new stable position will be,conditions permitting, at a lower power. As with the triangle method,the perturbation should be applied to all AT's in the system at the sametime.

[0198] In FIG. 10, there is shown the situation after lowering the powerof all AT's by one dBm. While using the perturbed power profile, AT11can hear only AT12, AT12 can hear AT11 and AT13, while AT13 cannot hearanybody. Based on this situation, AT11 identifies that it can remainconnected to AT12 while using a lower transmit power. AT12 identifiesthat its transmit power is too low for maintaining the connection toAT13. AT13 considers itself isolated because it cannot hear anybody,and, therefore, increases its transmit power by 1 dBm.

[0199] In FIG. 11, in the next time frame, AT12 and AT13 return to thepower level they had before the perturbation, while AT11 uses only asmuch power as needed for remaining connected to AT12. In the next timeframe, AT11 can hear AT12 and AT13, but it uses too little power totransmit to AT13. It decides to increase to the level it was usingbefore the perturbation. The oscillation filter identifies it as apossible oscillation and does not allow an increase larger than half ofthe increment. AT12 can hear both AT11 and AT13 and finds that itscurrent transmit power is correct for talking with both AT's. AT13 canhear only AT12. It finds out that the power it uses for such connectionis too large, and computes the new, lower transmit power using datacollected from AT12.

[0200] In FIG. 12, there is shown the situation two time frames afterapplying the perturbation. AT12 and AT13 are both using the right powerlevel for providing the connection. AT11's transmit power is too high totalk to AT 12, the only AT it can hear. With next time frame, AT11 willreduce the power to the proper level. After that reduction, all AT'swill have the same transmit power as the power computed using thetriangle method.

[0201] Both methods require that the algorithm be executed in the sametime frame on all AT's. The triangle method can be applied every timeframe or only at predefined times. The perturbation method can beapplied only from time to time, but no sooner than 5 time frames, toallow the group to get in a stable position.

[0202] The triangle method provides the final power profile after onetime frame, but it requires special computation for identifying whichtriangle can be broken. The information needed for this method iscollected while listening to other AT's talk, a fact that may not bepossible when supporting an active link.

[0203] The perturbation method requires three time frames to get to theright power profile. It does not require special computation, as thepower control algorithm is run every time frame anyway.

[0204] While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed, it is to be understood that numerous changes andmodifications may be made therein without departing from the scope andspirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. In an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio systemcomprising a series of terminals where each said terminal is capable ofmaking at least one of an outgoing call or receiving an incoming call,each said terminal comprising transceiver means for transmitting andreceiving signals from other like terminals of said series of terminals,computer means and memory means for storing program software meanstherein, the improvement comprising: said memory means comprisingsoftware means for creating connectivity messaging and data transferplan messaging information for transmission to other said terminals, andfor receiving similar said information from other said terminals fromwhich said terminal can receive; said software means comprising meansfor delivering said connectivity and data transfer plan informationmessaging to a configuration channel for transmission to said otherterminals belonging to the same service group (SG); said connectivitymessaging comprising a utilization map, the power used for transmittingthe messaging, and the level of the environmental noise at thetransmission site of the transmitting terminal; said data transfer planinformation messaging comprising messaging for use in changing thetransmit power level and for determining routing paths; and saidutilization map comprising information messaging on the availability oftime slots of a previous time frame based on whether time slots wereused in said previous time frame or were unavailable for use due tohigh-level noise.
 2. The ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according toclaim 1, wherein said software means further comprising means forgenerating at least one optimal connection path of a call based on saidmessaging received from other said terminals in said service group (SG),whereby said call is routed to its destination by routing said callalong a route utilizing at least one of some of said terminals of saidseries of terminals based on least-energy routing, so that the leastamount of energy over a selected route is chosen for completing a call.3. The ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according to claim 2, whereinsaid means for generating at least one optimal connection path of a callbased on said messaging received from other said terminals in saidservice group comprises determining the smallest path loss relative tosaid other terminals from which it has received similar messaging; saidmeans for generating at least one optimal connection path of a callcausing the said software means to initiate a request-to-registermessage in said connectivity messaging, whereby said terminal willregister with the closest of said other terminals for serving as atleast a first node of said optimal path.
 4. The ad-hoc, peer-to-peerradio system according to claim 3, wherein said connectivity messagingcomprises means for generating information on the class of service (COS)being transmitted, said means for generating information on the type ofmessage being sent comprising the capability of reporting at least oneof the following types of COS information: voice type information, datatype information, and video type information, whereby routing of a callis based also on the said type of COS information being transmitted;said means for generating at least one optimal connection path of a callbased on said messaging received from other said terminals conditioningsaid optimal connection based on said type of COS, whereby for datatransmission least energy routing of a call will be determinative, andwhereby for voice calls delay of the connection path will bedeterminative.
 5. In an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system comprising aseries of terminals where each said terminal is capable of making atleast one of an outgoing call or receiving an incoming call, each saidterminal comprising computer means, and memory means for storing programsoftware means therein, the improvement comprising: each said terminalof said series of terminals comprising a modem means for transmittingfirst communications information on at least one data channel (DC) at afirst chosen power level, and for transmitting second communicationsinformation on a control channel (CC) at a second chosen power level;said first power level being one of equal to or less than said secondpower level, whereby RF interference among said series of terminals isminimized.
 6. The ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according to claim5, wherein said software means of each said terminal comprises means forgenerating communications-information based on time division messaging.7. The ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according to claim 6, whereinsaid communications-information comprises a series of time frames (TM)each divided into a series of time slots (TS); saidcommunications-information comprising at least one time slot in whichsaid control-channel messaging data is transmitted via said modem means,and at least two time slots in which is transmitted channel data (CD)messaging data via said modem means.
 8. The ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radiosystem according to claim 7, wherein said software means of each saidterminal for generating said communications-information based alsogenerates said communications-information based on frequency divisionmultiple access (FDMA), said software means for generating saidcommunications-information transmitting said control-channel (CC)information at a first frequency, and said data-channel (DC) informationat at least one other frequency different from said first frequency. 9.The ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according to claim 8, wherein eachsaid time frame comprises a first said time slot (TS) in which saidcontrol-channel (CC) information is transmitted at said second powerlevel, and at least three other time slots (TS) in which saiddata-channel(DC) information is transmitted at said first power level;said first time slot transmitting said control-channel information atsaid first frequency of F0, and said at least three subsequent timeslots (TS) transmitting said data-channel (DC) information atfrequencies of F1, F2, and F3, respectively.
 10. A protocol for use inan ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series of terminalswhere each said terminal is capable of making at least one of anoutgoing call or receiving an incoming call, and where each saidterminal comprising computer means, memory means for storing programsoftware means therein, and where each said terminal is capable of beinghop of a routing path connecting a call from a source to a destination,comprising: software means for said memory means of each said terminal,said software means comprising means for generatingcommunications-information for transmission based on time-divisionmessaging; said communications-information comprising a series of timeframes (TM) each divided into a series of time slots (TS); saidcommunications-information comprising at least one time slot in whichcontrol-channel (CC) messaging information is transmitted, and othertime slots in which is transmitted channel data (CD) messaginginformation; said at least one time slot transmitting saidcontrol-channel information at a first frequency of F0, and said othertime slots (TS) transmitting said data-channel (DC) information atfrequencies of F1, F2, and F3, respectively; each said time frame (TF)comprising an inter-frame time gap (IFTG) at the end of each said timeframe (TF) in which no communications-information is transmitted,whereby each said terminal is allowed time to perform necessarycalculations.
 11. In a radio terminal for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peerradio system comprising a series of radio terminals, said radio terminalcapable of making at least one of an outgoing call or receiving anincoming call, and comprising transceiver means for transmitting andreceiving signals from other like terminals of said series of terminals,computer means and memory means for storing program software meanstherein, the improvement comprising: said memory means comprisingsoftware means for setting the power level of a transmission ofcontrol-channel messaging to be transmitted by said transceiver means;said software means further comprising means for generating routingmessaging including said power level set by said means for setting foruse in determining the connection path of a call; said software meansfurther comprising means for determining the optimal connection path ofan outgoing call based on least energy use, so that the least amount ofenergy over a selected route is chosen for completing the call.
 12. Theradio terminal for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system accordingto claim 11, wherein said software means comprises message-generatingmeans for generating a routing table based on said least energy use,said routing table comprising time-frame based messaging.
 13. The radioterminal for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according toclaim 12, wherein time-frame based messaging is based on time division.14. The radio terminal for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio systemaccording to claim 12, wherein said message-generating means forgenerating a routing table further comprises means for generatinginformation on the class of service (COS) being transmitted, said meansfor generating information on the type of message being sent comprisingthe capability of reporting at least one of the following types of COSinformation: voice type information, data type information, and videotype information, whereby routing of a call is based also on the saidtype of COS information being transmitted.
 15. The radio terminal foruse in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according to claim 12,wherein time-frame based messaging comprises a series of time frames(TM) each divided into a series of time slots (TS), one said time slotbeing used for transmitting said control-channel (CC) messagingincluding said power level, said routing messaging, and said optimalpath connection of an outgoing call based on least energy use.
 16. Theradio terminal for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system accordingto claim 15, wherein other time slots of said series of time-slots basedare used for transmitting channel data (CD) messaging information. 17.The radio terminal for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio systemaccording to claim 16, wherein said one time slot transmits saidcontrol-channel information at a first frequency of F0, and said atother time slots (TS) transmit said data-channel (DC) information atfrequencies different from said first frequency and different from eachother.
 18. The radio terminal for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radiosystem according to claim 16, wherein each said time frame (TF) furthercomprises an inter-frame time gap (IFTG) at the end of each said timeframe (TF) in which no communications-information is transmitted, inorder to allow time to perform necessary calculations.
 19. The radioterminal for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according toclaim 18, wherein each said time frame (TF) further comprises a lasttime slot (LTS) at said first frequency in which is contained initialcontrol communications-information indicating initial presence of saidradio terminal in order to start communicating with other saidterminals.
 20. The radio terminal for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peerradio system according to claim 19, wherein said software means furthercomprises means for switching transmission of initial controlcommunications-information from said last time slot (TS) to another,free, earlier time slot of a subsequent time frame (TF) in order toreduce the chance of collision with other said terminals also initiallyregistering.
 21. The radio terminal for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peerradio system according to claim 16, wherein said first time slot (TS)for said control-channel (CC) information is transmitted at a firstpower level, and said other time slots (TS) for said data-channel(DC)information are transmitted at a second power level.
 22. The radioterminal for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according toclaim 21, wherein said second power level is equal to or less than saidfirst power level, whereby RF interference is reduced.
 23. A method ofrouting a call in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system, which radiosystem comprising a series of radio terminals each capable of making atleast one of an outgoing call or receiving an incoming call, and whereeach said terminal is capable of being a node to a call made from asource-terminal, said method comprising: (a) transmitting one of voiceor data over a routing path of said terminals; (b) determining the classof service (COS) of the call; (c) said step (b) comprising determiningwhich of said voice or data is being transmitted by the call; (d)selecting a routing path based on said step (b); (e) said step (c)comprising basing its decision of a routing path based on latency andbitter error rate of a routing path.
 24. A method of selecting anoptimal routing path of a call in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio systemcomprising a series of radio terminals, each said radio terminalcomprising transceiver means for transmitting and receiving signals fromother like terminals of said series of terminals, computer means andmemory means for storing program software means therein, comprising: (a)creating a service group (SG) of said radio terminals where each saidradio terminal of said service group may be connected to any other ofsaid radio terminals of said service group via at least one connectingpath; (b) creating in each said radio terminal of said service group(SG) via said software means connectivity messaging and data transferplan messaging information for transmission to other said radioterminals of said service group, and for receiving similar saidinformation from said other radio terminals; (c) delivering saidconnectivity and data transfer plan information messaging to aconfiguration channel for transmission to said other radio terminalsbelonging to the same service group (SG); (d) said step (b) comprisingdeveloping by said software means a utilization map, the power used fortransmitting the messaging, and the level of the environmental noise atthe transmission site of the transmitting terminal; (e) said step (b)further comprising using said data transfer plan information messagingfor use in adjusting the transmit power level and for determining atleast one routing path.
 25. The method of selecting an optimal routingpath of a call in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according toclaim 24, wherein said step (d) comprises: (f) developing saidutilization map with information messaging based on time division on theavailability of time slots of a previous time frame based on whethertime slots were used in said previous time frame or were unavailable foruse.
 26. The method of selecting an optimal routing path of a call in anad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according to claim 24, furthercomprising: (f) transmitting said connectivity and data transfer planinformation messaging to other said radio terminals of said servicegroup of radio terminals via said configuration channel; (g) receivingsaid connectivity and data transfer plan information messaging at saidother radio terminals; (h) determining the optimal routing path of acall to or from a said radio terminal based on said receivedconnectivity and data transfer plan information.
 27. The method ofselecting an optimal routing path of a call in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peerradio system according to claim 26, wherein: said step (h) comprisesdetermining the class of service (COS) of a call to be transmitted froma respective said transmitting radio terminal, and selecting saidoptimal path based on said class of service.
 28. The method of selectingan optimal routing path of a call in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radiosystem according to claim 27, wherein said step of determining the classof service comprises selecting from one of the following: voicetransmission, and data transmission.
 29. The method of selecting anoptimal routing path of a call in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio systemaccording to claim 27, wherein said step of determining the class ofservice comprises selecting from one of the following: voicetransmission, data transmission, and video transmission.
 30. The methodof selecting an optimal routing path of a call in an ad-hoc,peer-to-peer radio system according to claim 27, wherein said step ofselecting said optimal path based on said class of service comprisesbasing the decision on bit error rate (BER) or latency.
 31. The methodof selecting an optimal routing path of a call in an ad-hoc,peer-to-peer radio system according to claim 27, wherein said step ofselecting said optimal path based on said class of service comprisesbasing the decision on bit error rate (BER) for data transmission, andon latency for voice transmission.
 32. The method of selecting anoptimal routing path of a call in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio systemaccording to claim 31, wherein said step of selecting said optimal pathbased on said BER comprises determining the smallest path loss relativeto said other terminals from which it has received similar messaging;said step (h) comprising initiating a request-to-register message insaid connectivity messaging to register with the closest available othersaid radio terminal for serving as at least a first node of said optimalpath.
 33. A method of reducing radio interference in an ad-hoc,peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series of radio terminals forminga service group, each said radio terminal comprising transceiver meansfor transmitting and receiving signals from other like terminals of saidseries of terminals, computer means and memory means for storing programsoftware means therein, where a call for sending packet data from oneradio terminal may be connected utilizing at least one other said radioterminal as a node in the routing connection of the call to adestination other said other radio terminal, comprising: (a)transmitting connectivity messaging from said one radio terminal to atleast one other radio terminal of said service group; (b) said step (a)comprising transmitting said connectivity messaging using time divisionsignaling having a series of time frames (TF) with each said time frameconsisting of a plurality of time slots (TS); (c) said step (b)comprising dedicating one of said time slots (TS) of each said timeframe (TF) as a configuration channel in which said connectivitymessaging is transmitted; (d) said step (b) comprising dedicating otherof said time slots (TS) of each said time frame (TF) as data channels inwhich data information messaging is transmitted; (e) said step (b)comprising transmitting said connectivity messaging of saidconfiguration channel of at a power level equal to or greater than thepower level at which said data information on said data channels istransmitted.
 34. A method of transmitting radio calls in an ad-hoc,peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series of radio terminals forminga service group, each said radio terminal comprising transceiver meansfor transmitting and receiving signals from other like terminals of saidseries of terminals, computer means and memory means for storing programsoftware means therein, comprising: (a) establishing a call from a saidradio terminal based on time-division access; (b) said step (a)comprising creating messaging consisting of a series of time frames (TF)with each said time frame consisting of a plurality of time slots (TS);(c) said step (b) comprising dedicating one said time slot for use as aconfiguration channel for transmitting information useful inestablishing a routing path of a call; (d) said step (b) furthercomprising dedicating other of said time slots for use as a datachannels for transmitting the actual call information based on the classof service(COS) of the call; (e) step step (b) further comprisingforming an inter-frame time gap (IFTG) between said time frames (TF)during which each radio terminal may process said data received fromanother terminal.
 35. In a method of transmitting radio calls in anad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series of radioterminals, each said radio terminal comprising transceiver means fortransmitting and receiving signals from other like terminals of saidseries of terminals, computer means and memory means for storing programsoftware means therein, said radio system based on time-dependentmessaging having multiple parallel data channels and a control channel,comprising: (a) said radio terminal monitoring said control channel forinformation about the power level at which other said terminals aretransmitting over said control channel; and (b) adjusting the powerlevel of said terminal based on the information received on said controlchannel in said step (a).
 36. The method of transmitting radio calls inan ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series of radioterminals according to claim 35, wherein before said step (a): (c) saidterminal transmitting a registration request signal over said controlchannel for registering with at least one of at least one other saidradio terminal and a gateway; (d) said step (a) monitoring the evolutionof path loss to all radio terminals receiving said registration requestof said step (c); (e) said step (b) comprising adjusting said powerlevel in accordance with path-loss variation and noise level from saidstep (d).
 37. The method of transmitting radio calls in an ad-hoc,peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series of radio terminalsaccording to claim 36, further comprising: (f) said step (c) comprisingregistering initially with one other said radio terminal for forming anode by which a call to and from said radio terminal may be completed;(g) said one other radio terminal submitting said registration requestsignal from said radio terminal to at least one of another said radioterminal or a gateway; (h) said one other radio terminal monitoring saidcontrol channel for information about the power level at which othersaid terminals are transmitting over said control channel; and (i)adjusting the power level of said one other radio terminal based on theinformation received on said control channel in said step (a); (j) saidstep (h) monitoring the evolution of path loss to all radio terminalsreceiving the registration request; and (k) said step (i) comprisingadjusting said power level in accordance with path-loss variation andnoise level from said step (j).
 38. The method of transmitting radiocalls in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series ofradio terminals according to claim 37, further comprising: (l) said step(g) comprising submitting the registration request directly to a (m)recording in said gateway said registration request from said radioterminal; (n) said step (m) comprising storing information about theconnection path, consisting of at least one node, from said radioterminal to said gateway.
 39. The method of transmitting radio calls inan ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series of radioterminals according to claim 36, further comprising: (f) said radioterminal registering with at least one other said radio terminal, saidat least one other radio terminal serving as a node of a connectionrouting path of a call for said radio terminal.
 40. The method oftransmitting radio calls in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio systemcomprising a series of radio terminals according to claim 39, whereinsaid step (f) comprises: (g) registering with a plurality of other saidradio terminals for forming a multi-node connection routing path; (h)each said other radio terminal forming a said node of said connectionrouting path storing information in said memory means thereof about saidregistration (i) each said radio-terminal storing registrationinformation in said memory means thereof about any other said radioterminal serving as a node therefor through which it has beenregistered; and (j) each said radio-terminal also storing registrationinformation in said memory means thereof about any other said radioterminal for which it serves as a node therefor through which said anyother radio terminal has been registered.
 41. In an ad-hoc, peer-to-peerradio system comprising a series of radio terminals, each said radioterminal comprising transceiver means for transmitting and receivingsignals from other like terminals of said series of terminals, computermeans and memory means for storing program software means therein, saidradio system based on time-dependent messaging having multiple paralleldata channels and a control channel, the improvement comprising: saidmemory means of each said radio terminal storing registrationinformation about any other said radio terminal serving as a nodetherefor through which it has been registered for forming acall-connection routing path; and said memory means of each saidradio-terminal also storing registration information about any othersaid radio terminal for which it serves as a node therefor through whichsaid any other radio terminal has been registered.
 42. In a protocol foruse in a network of terminals each having computer means, memory meansfor storing program, and software means therein, said software means ofeach said terminal comprising means for generatingcommunications-information for transmission based on time divisionmessaging, said communications-information comprising a series of timeframes (TM) each divided into a series of time slots (TS); saidcommunications-information comprising at least one time slot in whichcontrol-channel (CC) messaging information is transmitted, and othertime slots in which is transmitted channel data (CD) messaginginformation, the improvement comprising: said at least one time slottransmitting said control-channel information at a first frequency ofF0, and said other time slots (TS) transmitting said data-channel (DC)information at different respective frequencies; each said time frame(TF) comprising an inter-frame time gap (IFTG) at the end of each saidtime frame (TF) in which no communications-information is transmitted,whereby each said terminal is allowed time to perform necessarycalculations.
 43. A protocol for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radiosystem comprising a series of terminals where each said terminal iscapable of making at least one of an outgoing call or receiving anincoming call, and where each said terminal comprising computer means,memory means for storing program software means therein, and where eachsaid terminal is capable of being hop of a routing path connecting acall from a source to a destination, comprising: software means for saidmemory means of each said terminal, said software means comprising meansfor generating communications-information for transmission based ontime-division messaging; said communications-information comprising aseries of time frames (TM) each divided into a series of time slots(TS); said communications-information comprising at least one time slotin which control-channel (CC) messaging information is transmitted, andother time slots in which is transmitted channel data (CD) messaginginformation; each said time frame (TF) comprising a last time slot; saidsoftware means further comprising means for generating initial controlcommunications-information in a respective said last time slot (LTS) ofa respective said time frame (TF) indicating initial presence of arespective said terminal in order to start communicating with other saidterminals.
 44. In a protocol for use in a network of terminals eachhaving computer means, memory means for storing program, and softwaremeans therein, said software means of each said terminal comprisingmeans for generating communications-information for transmission basedon time division messaging, said communications-information comprising aseries of time frames (TM) each divided into a series of time slots(TS); said communications-information comprising at least one time slotin which control-channel (CC) messaging information is transmitted, andother time slots in which is transmitted channel data (CD) messaginginformation, the improvement comprising: each said time frame (TF)comprising a last time slot; said software means further comprisingmeans for generating initial control communications-information in arespective said last time slot (LTS) of a respective said time frame(TF) indicating initial presence of a respective said terminal in orderto start communicating with other said terminals.
 45. A radio terminalfor an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series of radioterminals, each said radio terminal comprising transceiver means fortransmitting and receiving signals from other like terminals of saidseries of terminals, computer means, memory means for storing programsoftware means therein, and software means, said radio system based ontime-dependent messaging having multiple parallel data channels and acontrol channel, the improvement comprising: said software meanscomprising means for generating communications-information fortransmission based on time-division messaging; saidcommunications-information comprising a series of time frames (TM) eachdivided into a series of time slots (TS); saidcommunications-information comprising at least one time slot in whichcontrol-channel (CC) messaging information is transmitted, and othertime slots in which is transmitted channel data (CD) messaginginformation; said software means further comprising sending means forsending out message-signaling toward other said radio terminals forfinding and registering with at least one other of said other radioterminals; said sending means comprising transmitting status messagingover said control channel; said software means also comprising listeningmeans for listening to a response to said status messaging from at leastanother said radio terminal on said control channel; said software meansfurther comprising random means for randomly selecting at least anothersaid time slot of at least one subsequent said time frame for saidsending means to transmit said status messaging when said listeningmeans receives no response; said software means comprisingpower-incrementing means for increasing the power of transmission ofsaid status messaging over a subsequent, selected, respective said timeslot as compared with a previous said time slot in which said statusmessaging was transmitted.
 46. In a radio terminal for an ad-hoc,peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series of radio terminals, eachsaid radio terminal comprising transceiver means for transmitting andreceiving signals from other like terminals of said series of terminals,computer means, memory means for storing program software means therein,and software means, said radio system based on time-dependent messaginghaving multiple parallel data channels and a control channel, the methodcomprising: (a) generating communications-information for transmissionbased on time-division messaging; (b) said step (a) comprisinggenerating a series of time frames (TM) each divided into a series oftime slots (TS); (c) said step (b) comprising dedicating at least onetime slot for control-channel (CC) messaging information is transmitted,and other time slots in which is transmitted channel data (CD) messaginginformation; (d) sending out message-signaling toward other said radioterminals for finding and registering with at least other radioterminal; (e) said step (d) comprising transmitting status messagingover the control channel; (f) listening to a response to said statusmessaging from at least another radio terminal on the control channel;(g) randomly selecting at least another time slot of at least onesubsequent time frame for retransmitting the status messaging when saidstep (f) did not hear a response from another terminal; (h)incrementally increasing the power of transmission of the statusmessaging over a subsequent, selected, respective time slot as comparedwith a previous time slot in which said status messaging wastransmitted, and repeating said step (e) using the new time slot in thenew time frame.
 47. In an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system comprising aseries of radio terminals, each said radio terminal comprisingtransceiver means for transmitting and receiving signals from other liketerminals of said series of terminals, computer means, and memory meansfor storing program software means therein, said radio system based ontime-dependent messaging having multiple parallel data channels and acontrol channel, the method comprising: (a) generatingcommunications-information for transmission based on time-divisionmessaging; (b) said step (a) comprising generating a series of timeframes (TM) each divided into a series of time slots (TS); (c) said step(b) comprising dedicating at least one time slot for control-channel(CC) messaging information is transmitted, and other time slots in whichis transmitted channel data (CD) messaging information; (d) when saidtransceiver is idle from transmitting or receiving messaging informationin said step (a), sending out maintenance message-signaling toward othersaid radio terminals for maintaining a link with at least one other saidradio terminal; (e) said step (d) comprising transmitting saidmaintenance status messaging message-signaling over the control channel.48. In an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series of radioterminals, each said radio terminal comprising transceiver means fortransmitting and receiving signals from other like terminals of saidseries of terminals, computer means, and memory means for storingprogram software means therein, said radio system based ontime-dependent messaging having multiple parallel data channels and acontrol channel, the method comprising: (a) building a link between asource terminal and a destination radio terminal or gateway; (b) saidstep (b) comprising sending out link message-signaling from said sourceterminal toward said destination over said control channel at a firstpower level; (c) after said step (b), said source terminal listening tosaid control channel for a response to said step (b) by any other saidradio terminal; (d) if said step (c) indicated no response, increasingsaid power level; (e) if said step (c) indicated a response, saiddestination adjusting its power of transmission in accordance with thelength of the path from said source to said destination and the type ofservice; (f) sending out a dummy Clear-to-Send (CTS) from saiddestination at the power set in said step (e); (g) a terminal receivingsaid dummy CTS of said step (f), and which was part of said link to saiddestination, answering said destination with a Ready-to-Link (RTL)message; and (h) selecting the first hop of the link for which aconnecting routing path is to be formed.
 49. In an ad-hoc, peer-to-peerradio system comprising a series of radio terminals, each said radioterminal comprising transceiver means for transmitting and receivingsignals from other like terminals of said series of terminals, computermeans, and memory means for storing program software means therein, saidradio system based on time-dependent messaging having multiple paralleldata channels and a control channel, the method comprising: (a)establishing a permanent link between a source terminal and adestination terminal or gateway; (b) transmitting data from said sourceterminal to the destination; (c) establishing a temporary link betweensaid source terminal and said destination when the data beingtransmitted by said source terminal surpasses a predetermined limit forsaid permanent link.
 50. A method of reducing the power loss betweenterminals in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series ofradio terminals, each said radio terminal comprising transceiver meansfor transmitting and receiving signals from other like terminals of saidseries of terminals, computer means, and memory means for storingprogram software means therein, said radio system based ontime-dependent messaging having multiple parallel data channels and acontrol channel, the method comprising: (a) controlling the power oftransmission of each said radio terminal of a service group of saidterminals; and (b) said step (a) comprising creating a relatively stablepower-level state wherein each terminal of said plurality of terminalsstabilizes at a power level reflective of the relative path loss betweenit and other terminals of said permanent link.